


I Can Show You the World

by jaegerhardt



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-04
Updated: 2014-01-04
Packaged: 2018-01-06 03:58:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1102136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jaegerhardt/pseuds/jaegerhardt
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eren and Armin live their dream of finally traveling into the outside world.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Can Show You the World

Armin flipped through his book about the outside world for the millionth time. He was always looking at this book and dreaming about the world beyond the walls, hoping that one day, he could join his parents again. His father gave it to him when he was eight, along with a long speech about how he and his mother were going to be traveling to the outside world, and that the places in the book were where they were going to visit. They explained to him that he would be staying with his grandfather for a while, but with an undertone that suggested that a while could possibly mean forever. At the time, Armin was much too absorbed in the colorful pictures of the world outside of the walls to pay attention to anything that his parents were saying. There were fields of sand, massive jungles, and a huge salty body of water called an ocean that stretched further than the eye could see. That was the picture that Armin was especially interested in. Salt water that covered an area larger than the land inside of the walls was completely impossible, and yet there it was painted into a book by a long dead adventurer.

Enthralled by his discovery of a world completely different from the one he had grown to know, Armin had taken his book and ran off into the bustling city of Shiganshina to find his best friend, Eren. After learning all of the wonders of the world beyond the wall, Eren soon shared Armin’s dream of escaping to the outside world and seeing the ocean. They would spend hours together pouring over the book and dreaming of the day Armin’s parents would come back from the outside world to tell them stories of adventure and wonder, but they never did.

And seven years later, Armin was still looking at the same book and dreaming the same dreams. He knew that one day he would rise up high enough in the Survey Corps to be granted permission to travel the world and experience all of its wonders. But it was very rare that anybody left the human territory, and when people did, it was usually for a mission or they were criminals running from the law. His parents were only granted permission because in their studies about the world outside, they believe that they had discovered a way to mass destroy titans.

This was huge because it meant that everybody could finally break free of their prison and live like humans instead of cattle, but most people were not thrilled with this idea. They had lived in these walls their entire lives and were not too keen on leaving their safe haven. Some people did not want the survey corps squad to leave and put all of their lives in danger. A group of wall worshippers even went so far as to destroy some of the provisions and supplies needed for the squad going on the mission. The squad, motivated by the possibility of saving humanity, went on the mission anyway, claiming that they would find food outside. It was an amazing moment in Armin’s life, seeing his parents being brave enough to go into unknown territory without food or supplies. It made Armin proud to be their son. He vowed that he would travel beyond the wall with them one day in the future.

When the group never came back, people began to shun the outside world even more than they used to. If you even expressed mild interest in what was beyond the wall, people would beat you and tell you that things worse than that happened to people who went beyond the walls.

That was why Armin was always getting beat up by kids at school and any adults he happened to piss off, and he pissed off a lot of adults. He often had to be saved by Eren and Mikasa, Eren’s adopted sister. Armin getting bullied only fueled Eren’s anger of being confined inside walls and strengthened his dream of leaving human territory.

Of course, things were different now. Humanity lost a third of its territory and population, and going ‘outside of the wall’ now simply meant going into the land they had lost to the titans. It had become the Survey Corps’ goal to take retake Wall Maria, so there were more and more missions to the outside to observe the wall and how they could possibly fix it. It was nearly impossible to fix holes of that magnitude though, so they began to give up on ever retaking the wall.

All of that changed when Eren was revealed to be a titan. The survey corps was already planning to go to Shiganshina to look for whatever was hidden in Eren’s basement. Many in the Survey Corps believed that the secret to the existence of titan’s was locked away in Eren’s basement. Eren was going on this mission for obvious reasons, but neither Erwin nor Levi nor Hanji had given Armin permission to join them. Armin had been disappointed after finding out that he would most likely not be going on the mission and seeing what was in Eren’s basement, but he was content with staying in the walls for now, safe from any danger.

 _Who am I kidding?_ Armin thought bitterly, flipping to the next page in his book. _I don’t want to stay inside guarding citizens. But there's no way for me to leave with Eren and Mikasa since I'm not strong enough and I wasn't invited._

Armin stared sadly at his book. What if he was never invited on a mission? He could be stuck inside the walls for the rest of his life. Eren might go on a second mission in the future, but to the ocean next time. Eren might be able to see the ocaen without Armin. Of course he would tell Armin all about it and he might even bring back a vial of salt water as proof, but it would not be the same as Armin actually being there. And even if Armin did get called on a mission to the ocean, there was a great chance that Eren would not be going. It was rare for one so young and low in ranks to be invited on two missions to the outside. Seeing the ocean without Eren would not be as thrilling for Armin. Eren might not even return from the mission he was going on!

That thought made Armin sit up in distress. Eren might not return from the mission to Shiganshina. He might never reach the ocean, or even the fields of sand. Armin's chest tightened. Eren could die inside the walls, not knowing if the ocean was real, or what a rain forest looked like. He might not even reach his basement if his luck was average. He would have nothing but faint memories of a book and Armin's face as he died. Tears welled up in Armin's eyes as images of horror, blood, and gore flashed through his mind.

"No!" Armin stood up, the book shaking furiously in his hands. "I won't let him die like that. I-" What was he going to do about it though? He had not been invited on the mission, and pleading and begging would not grant him any favors. Sneaking past the wall with the squad would only cause him death and despair, so that path was a no as well. He only had one option, and that choice did not mean Armin joining the mission or Eren. "I'll give him the book." Armin whispered to himself. "I'll give him our memories so that even if he does die without seeing the ocean or knowing what is in his basement, at least he'll have our memories and he'll be happy."

Armin nodded and took a deep breath. He had looked over the book enough times that he could make a poor copy of it if he needed. But Eren was more important. Armin turned to walk out the door, full of purpose, when he ran into somebody and nearly knocked them over. "I'm so sorry!" Armin quickly apologized. He heard a familiar laugh coming from the person he ran into and looked up in surprise. Eren was standing before him holding two sets of maneuver gear. One of them looked older than the other, so Armin assumed that Eren got a new one for the mission and was sad once again.

"Look Eren, I-"

"Hey Armin-"

Eren and Armin spoke at the same time and then laughed. This was getting awkward quickly. All Armin wanted to do was give Eren the book, wish him well on his mission, and then hide away for a few days to try and forget his dream that would never come true. Armin stuck out his arms, holding the book out to Eren. Eren looked at him in confusion, then looked at the book. "What?"

"You were leaving and I just...I didn't want you to forget our dream. And I didn't know if I would ever see you again -not that I think you'll die or anything!" Armin quickly caught himself. "But I wanted you to keep this with you just in case something happened to remember the good times."

Eren stared at Armin with a shocked expression before he started laughing. Armin blushed furiously. He was just trying to do something nice for his childhood friend before he left, but if Eren was going to act this way then Armin did not want him to have the book. He pulled the book back to his chest and stared at the ground. "What is wrong with you Eren? I was just trying to do something nice."

Armin turned to walk back to his bunk when he felt a hand grip his shoulder and turn him around. "I'm sorry for laughing, Armin." Eren said, attempting to sound apologetic, but Armin could hear the hint of amusement in his voice. "But there's really no need for you to give me that, because to remember the good times, all I need to do is look at you."

All Eren needed to do was look at Armin? But that really did not make any sense! Eren was leaving for a mission, and Armin would not be going with him. And yet, Eren was so insistant that he would be seeing Armin at some point in the near future, and he was holding two sets of maneuver gear. That could only mean....

Armin turned around and threw his arms around Eren. "I'm coming with you, aren't I?" He smiled, heart soaring. There would be no death for Eren with both Armin and Mikasa protecting him, and Armin would be there for Eren when they open Eren's basement door and reveal the secrets of the titans. After this mission, they could apply for another into the world beyond the wall and see the ocean together. And even if none of them went to the outside world, at least they would not be going together.

Eren laughed once again and handed Armin the newer maneuver gear. "I can turn into a titan, so I don't really need maneuver gear as much as you do. Take the new one and get ready. We leave at dusk." Eren nodded once and left the barracks, leaving Armin standing in the middle of the empty bunks grinning like a fool.

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry for how short this chapter is and how rushed as well. I really wanted to rush through them getting to the basement so I could get on to their travels of the outside world.  
> Also this chapter is dedicated to Kira <3


End file.
